Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 676 - 320 The Truth is Iron

Chapter 676: Chapter 320 The Truth is Iron

Accompanied by several "beep beep" alert sounds, and a few phrases in an ancient language, the internal locks of the Gelangdola Prosthetic Body were released. Hiroshi Matsushima quickly disassembled the external fixtures.

Soon, the Gelangdola Prosthetic Body was segmented into several different sections, just like a disjointed chicken.

Hiroshi Matsushima closely examined the internal structure of the Prosthetic Body, then removed his own right hand and shoulder.

With guidance from TX-0, Hiroshi Matsushima deliberately used standard specifications and interfaces provided by the government army.

This was a practice of the Jianghu. Zero had told them that martial artists in Jianghu would try to keep the specifications of their external strength hardware consistent with the government, whereas for their internal strength protocols and formats, the more off-road, the better.

The idea was to ensure they could immediately use the spoils of war obtained from the government, but if they failed in an internal strength conflict, it could cause a bit of trouble for their opponents.

This wasn’t the main encryption method, it was just something that "might" cause a certain amount of trouble for the government.

But in a life-and-death battle, sometimes that "little bit" makes all the difference.

Given the government’s vast scale, there must be a standard throughout, from top to bottom and inside out.

To create trouble for heroes, the government would also deliberately use several different specifications for parts and intermingle soldiers. But no matter how the government manipulated, their freedom to do so was definitely much less than that of any individual hero who took matters into his own hands.

Their choices were limited to a few specific standards at most.

Luckily, the specification chosen by Gelangdola was the most common among mid-level government military officers. It was the same specification of Prosthetic Body as the one Hiroshi Matsushima had selected.

He could directly replace the man’s Prosthetic Limb with it.

Hiroshi Matsushima used his left hand to attach his new right hand, then followed the same method to attach his new left hand. Next came both legs. The Prosthetic Body chosen by Gelangdola was very tall, so Hiroshi Matsushima’s limbs now looked disproportionate and somewhat terrifying.

Hiroshi Matsushima tested his balance on the ground to acclimate to this body.

Meanwhile, the Dojo Master was completely stunned. He had originally set out to rescue his fellow disciples, and had only turned around after hearing the alerts from the Gelangdola Prosthetic Body. He had thought it was some kind of "self-destruct" alert, but instead, he witnessed this scene.

"Grand Master Uncle..." the Dojo Master timidly said, "this is... illegal operation, isn’t it...?"

Hiroshi Matsushima raised his hand, checking the condition of his wrist, "Yes, it’s indeed an utterly unprincipled operation."

"This will... will..."

"Be considered a hero?" Hiroshi Matsushima gave the Dojo Master a speechless look, "Did you think about this when you were attacking that person? Are you still worried about being considered a hero now?"

The Dojo Master lowered his head in silence.

After a moment, he finally asked, "Grand Master Uncle, what do we do now? Should our Martial Arts School collectively step into Jianghu?"

Hiroshi Matsushima tilted his head slightly, "Are you sure? Look around. Not everyone even wants to run for their lives."

The Dojo Master glanced around. Indeed, several disciples, although tied up tightly with ropes and nets, were still struggling desperately, using their necks and other parts to twist their bodies, preventing the firework scissors of the martial artists in the school from falling onto the ropes on their bodies.

There were even those who loudly cursed at the Dojo Master and Hiroshi Matsushima, calling them anti-human, anti-civilization, and questioning why they would forsake peaceful lives to become heroes.

The Dojo Master’s eyes were red with rage, seeming to fume. Hiroshi Matsushima said, "Turn off this emotional expression function. They are not wrong; we were originally just a Martial Arts School. We charged fees, they learned Martial Arts, it was a fair trade. There was never any rule that having learned Martial Arts from us, one’s heart must side with us."

"Besides, no one within the school now understands internal strength, nor does anyone know how to hide themselves or survive in the Wilderness."

"With such a group venturing into Jianghu, I’m afraid we would be annihilated in an instant."

The Dojo Master was perplexed, "Grand Master Uncle, I have never considered such things."

"Then start thinking about it now." Hiroshi Matsushima said, "Those who do not wish to flee, may stay behind. Those who do, should scatter and run for their lives. After the commotion dies down, if anyone still dares to trust the government and believes they are innocent enough, let them surrender to the government. And those who do not wish to be oppressed any longer should seek out the hero Sects for themselves."

He paused for a moment, "To the north... there might be some in the Arctic region."

"Also, after today, we no longer need to use the name of our Martial Arts School. This school is now closed. But the Martial Vein must not be severed. You still have a few minutes, use your administrator privileges to unlock the server, and let everyone freely download the Martial Arts data. Let this data generate heat where it should."

The Dojo Master nodded, and after a short while, he spoke again, "I’ve sent messages to those team members. I’ve also broadcasted to the disciples outside... Grand Master Uncle, you should hurry. Let’s go to the Arctic together!"

"Ho, so you really wish to join them. It seems we’re not so wronged after all," Hiroshi Matsushima chuckled, "But not this time; we can’t go the same way."

The Dojo Master’s expression changed, "Grand Master Uncle, are you planning to sacrifice yourself to cover our retreat? I... I can’t just..."

"Shut up, from now on, think carefully about everything you do." Hiroshi Matsushima said, "I’m their biggest target. If we’re together, no one can escape. But on the other hand, without you as a burden, I have options whether to fight or flee."

Perhaps because Hiroshi Matsushima had never made the wrong decision in decades, the Dojo Master didn’t argue any longer, and simply lowered his head, saying, "Grand Master Uncle... please make sure to regroup!"

Hiroshi Matsushima ignored him, took a few simple weapons from the box, and placed them in the storage section on his back.

Then, he turned and walked to the courtyard, leaped up, and stood on the roof of the dojo. The metal roof could not support his newfound weight, and it caved in, becoming deformed.

Hiroshi Matsushima would never have done such a thing in the past. This was the first time he looked at his Martial Arts School from such a height.

A small, rundown Martial Arts School.

Standing here, Hiroshi Matsushima suddenly realized how small and dilapidated this place actually was.

Hiroshi Matsushima looked in other directions. When he had burst through the wall to kill those soldiers, other Martial Arts Schools had hurriedly closed their doors. Now, not even the onlookers dared to stay on the streets.

Hiroshi Matsushima said, "By comparison, they are even smaller and more broken. My management isn’t too bad after all."

He spread his arms and took a few steps on the rooftop.

Memories from many years ago suddenly flooded his mind.

During the time of the Seventh Martial God, all of them low-level Martial Artists were very excited. That simple-minded younger disciple even took another person to Jianghu. But in the end, the Seventh Martial God’s efforts fell short, and the heroic forces could only carve out the fringes of the Solar System, no longer able to advance.

In the years that followed, there was no news of another Martial God emerging. The government’s fleet, built with the energy from the sun, minerals from terrestrial planets, and resources from the Mother Planet, steadily ate away at the living forces of the heroic powers at the fringe. The spouse of the Martial Ancestor once acknowledged a Martial God, but that Martial God never did anything significant.

Until the Ninth Martial God...

It was a day many years ago. That day, the Ninth Martial God live-streamed dozens of songs from somewhere in the Solar System.

Some said that King Aqini was hunting Turing at the time, so he didn’t appear immediately. Others said that the Inner Strength of the Ninth Martial God was also extraordinary, briefly avoiding King Aqini’s blockade.

Everyone in the Solar System saw it. Although due to the speed of light limit, some planets experienced a delay ranging from a few minutes to ten or twenty minutes, everyone heard it.

——Thinking about it now, the sense of relief I feel is so similar to that time... Is it what they call "a drought relieved by a timely rainstorm"?

——No, it seems different...

Back then, Hiroshi Matsushima had already started supporting the Martial Arts School. Regarding the affairs of Jianghu, he was just a spectator.

Now, he was a man of Jianghu.

But in that moment, Hiroshi Matsushima thought of that scene.

"When I was young, I really did fantasize several times about how I would do this and that once I became a Great Hero... Now that I want to speak out, I find myself speechless," he said.

In the midst of his hesitation, the Dojo Master had already picked up a weapon. Holding a single-use rocket launcher, he called on the disciples of the Martial Arts School who were willing to break out with him to charge forward.

Gunshots sporadically sounded from the streets. The Protector Troops nearby had already started to set up a blockade after receiving the alert.

Hiroshi Matsushima watched these disciples. He held his hands out in front as if trying to grasp some instrument.

But after thinking about it, he decided against it.

TA-0 said, "Imitating the Ninth Martial God’s AR guitar, huh? I get it, I get it."

"Why haven’t you self-deleted yet?"

"Who do you think I am? A disciple of the first expert. Self-deleting is just a matter of minutes. I can self-delete anytime."

Hiroshi Matsushima smiled, swayed his body to dodge two stray bullets, and then sang to the departing disciples, "Don’t lament the passage of youth/Don’t cry alone in a foreign land..."

He had forgotten the title of the song, only remembering it as one of the many sung by the Ninth Martial God during that live broadcast.

Hiroshi Matsushima felt that it was written precisely for himself, who had wasted half his life, as well as those disciples who were about to set out.

"Remember the embrace of your mother when leaving home/Remember the path in your luggage that you need to take..."

"Life is a Battle/You must be determined and unafraid of sacrifice..."

A streak of light had appeared on the horizon. A flame was falling from the top of the Pine Eagle Building toward this direction, like a Heavenly God descending to earth.

"The moon in a foreign land always keeps its eyes open..."

The first to come were several swarm missiles. They covered all directions, making them impossible to dodge.

But Hiroshi Matsushima pulled out two shotguns.

This was a Spear Fight Technique routine that emerged in the modern era, yet it naturally embodied the essence of Martial Arts. It was the cheapest technique for empty space.

"We’re like wild grass, born stubborn..."

Suspended thirty meters in front of Hiroshi Matsushima, Amilcare snorted, "How daring of you, rebel..."

Hiroshi Matsushima had anticipated this. He knew Amilcare’s personality very well. At this time, Amilcare wouldn’t simply use firearms to level a city block; he would personally step in to erase all unstable elements.

So...

"The mountainous passes are like iron, yet today I stride over them from the beginning!" he roared, swinging his fist at the enemy!